A number of new matchups were announced this past weekend for upcoming UFC cards, and I’ll use today’s Odds and Ends to give my thoughts on all of them. Paulo Thiago vs. Brandon Thatch, UFC Fight Night 32 The first new matchup I want to highlight is a welterweight bout between Paulo Thiago and Brandon Thatch, which takes place this November at UFC Fight Night 32. As soon as I heard this fight announcement I walked over to my calendar and circled Nov. 9 because I know I will be putting a large amount of cash on Thatch that night. Thatch is a beast and Thiago is one of the biggest fades in the UFC, so this is an easy call. I honestly feel that Thatch should be a big favorite in the -300 range even though Thiago will have the homefield edge here as the fight is in Brazil, and that’s why I think Thatch is definitely a guy to pencil in for a bet this winter. Yves Edwards vs. Yancy Medeiros, UFC Fight For The Troops 3 A lightweight bout between Yves Edwards and Yancy Medeiros has been added to UFC Fight For The Troops 3, and it’s a matchup where I’m kind of feeling like the dog will bite. Based on his experience and tougher level of competition, Edwards is going to be the rightful favorite here, perhaps in the -170 range or so, but if I can grab the youngster Medeiros at +130 or higher I’ll likely take a stab on him as I’m fading Edwards after his last two performances and I think this could end up being his last fight in the UFC. Magnus Cedenblad vs. Alessio Sakara, UFC Fight Night 30 An injury to Tom Watson has taken him out of his fight at UFC Fight Night 30 against Alessio Sakara and now Sakara will take on Magnus Cedenblad. Sakara is a massive fade in my books so I’m really liking Cedenblad in this one and if we can get him at close to a Pick ’em price, which we should, I think he may be worth a small play. Soa Palelei vs. Pat Barry, UFC Fight Night 33 A heavyweight bout between Soa Palelei and Pat Barry has been added to UFC Fight Night 33 and it’s a must-win fight for both fighters considering their recent performances inside the Octagon. This is a Pick ’em fight in every sense of the word as the man who throws and connects with the harder punch first is likely to get his hand raised. Right now I’m leaning towards Palelei a bit, but I would never consider putting my money on either of these guys unless one of them, for some reason, gets to the +170 range. Dustin Pague vs. Kyogi Horiguchi, UFC 166 And finally the last new fight is a bantamweight bout between Dustin Pague and Kyogi Horiguchi, which will take place at UFC 166 next month. I don’t know enough about Horiguchi but I have good things about him, and with Pague having a terrible 1-4 record in the UFC this may be a situation where I bet blindly against the veteran just because I really feel like he isn’t a UFC-calibre fighter (and I was one of those who backed him against Yves Jabouin in one of the biggest robberies of the year).
